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The Best Food in Osaka

I checked out Dotonbori, Osaka’s mega-downtown district filled with restaurants, shops, and bars.

Dotonbori is Osaka’s answer to Tokyo’s Shibuya. Come here on any given weekend and you’ll see loads of people singing, dancing, getting drunk, and having a good time (unless they’ve passed out).

Takoyaki (Courtesy of Ang Sarap)

Using ili, I was able to ask for directions and find out where I was going. Along the way, I had a bite of takoyaki, which is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special molded pan. It’s typically filled with minced or diced octopus and tastes amazing.

Okonomiyaki (Courtesy of Sorted Food)

On another note, I highly recommend trying okonomiyaki which is similar to takoyaki but is served in a pancake form. Another popular dish amongst the locals in Osaka (and throughout the rest of Japan).

Dotonbori is filled with restaurants serving a variety of food and it would have taken me weeks to go to each one. Here’s a list of popular restaurants in the area thanks to Osaka Station:

Dontonbori (Photo courtesy of Gaijin Pot)

Hariju has been serving prime Japanese beef shabu shabu and sukiyaki in Dotombori since 1948.